Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Bluff City, Tennessee

Bluff City’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, moving or alteration of any building inside Bluff City

  • Permit issued by the building inspector with statement that plans conform to the zoning ordinance
  • Application is made to the building inspector

  “if a building permit is refused, the building inspector shall state such refusal in writing with cause.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Completed buildings inside Bluff City with a building permit

  • Final inspection follows application for certificate of occupancy

  final inspection timeframe: <= 3 days from application

  “within three days of such application, the building inspector shall make a final inspection of the property in question”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings erected or altered inside Bluff City

  • Issued if building conforms to the ordinance and permit application statements
  • Refusal must be stated in writing with cause

  “no land or building hereafter erected or altered in this use, shall be used until such a certificate of occupancy has been granted.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside the Town of Bluff City limits

  • Ordinance adopted April 4, 1996; posted copy amended through October 2023
  • Administered by the municipal building inspector and planning commission

  “this ordinance shall be known as the "zoning ordinance of the town of bluff city, tennessee,"”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 low density residential, single-family use, inside Bluff City

  • Article VII table text extracted in garbled column order; first column read as R-1 single family (15,000 sq ft), second as non-residential (20,000)
  • R-2 and R-3 have different values; no agricultural district exists

  R-1 single-family lot area: >= 15000 sq ft

  “lot area sq. ft. 15,000 20,000 lot width 80' 80' front yard 30' 30' side yard 15' 20' rear yard 30' 30' lot coverage 30% 30% maximum height 35' 35'”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single-family inside Bluff City

  • Garbled table column order; R-1 single-family read as first column
  • Accessory buildings at least 5 ft from property lines and 10 ft from principal building in residential districts

  front yard: >= 30 feet · side yard: >= 15 feet · rear yard: >= 30 feet

  “lot area sq. ft. 15,000 20,000 lot width 80' 80' front yard 30' 30' side yard 15' 20' rear yard 30' 30' lot coverage 30% 30% maximum height 35' 35'”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single-family inside Bluff City

  • Garbled table column order

  R-1 lot coverage: <= 30 percent

  “lot area sq. ft. 15,000 20,000 lot width 80' 80' front yard 30' 30' side yard 15' 20' rear yard 30' 30' lot coverage 30% 30% maximum height 35' 35'”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single-family inside Bluff City

  • Garbled table column order
  • Exceptions on height limits exist (not reviewed)

  R-1 maximum height: <= 35 feet

  “lot area sq. ft. 15,000 20,000 lot width 80' 80' front yard 30' 30' side yard 15' 20' rear yard 30' 30' lot coverage 30% 30% maximum height 35' 35'”

• Tiny homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Tiny houses on permanent foundations as primary residence inside Bluff City

  • Not a cluster of tiny homes; communities need planning commission site plan approval and are allowed in R-4 park community
  • Minimum lot may be relaxed if approved by planning commission, no less than 2,250 sq ft
  • Tiny house as ADU: lot at least 5,000 sq ft, one per lot

  minimum relaxed lot size: >= 2250 sq ft (planning commission approval)

  “minimum lot size requirements may be relaxed to allow a tiny house as a single-family primary residence, if approved by the planning commission, and the minimum lot size is no less than 2,250 square feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Double-wide mobile homes inside Bluff City

  • Skirt with 18 by 24 inch access door required
  • Minimum lot area 7,500 sq ft
  • Existing single-wides are legal non-conforming; new mobile home parks must rezone to R-4

  double-wide minimum lot area: >= 7500 sq ft

  “for double wide mobile homes, the minimum lot area shall be seven thousand - five hundred (7,500) square feet”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  One ADU on a lot with a single-family residence inside Bluff City

  • Permit required before construction
  • Readymades cannot be converted to an ADU
  • Stick built on permanent foundation
  • Within 10 feet of the primary residence and no closer than 5 feet to any property line
  • Section 813.6.1 also requires lot of at least 5,000 sq ft and no renting

  minimum distance to property line: >= 5 feet

  “adus are allowed in the side or rear yard, must be stick built, placed on a permanent foundation, and within 10 feet of the primary residence and no closer than 5 feet to any property line.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application inside Bluff City

  • Refusal must be stated in writing with cause
  • Certificate of occupancy final inspection within three days of application

  “in applying to the building inspector for a building permit the applicant shall submit a dimensioned sketch or scale plan indicating the shape, size, height, and”

Rules another office applies inside Bluff City

Bluff City does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicState

  Septic systems inside Bluff City (Sullivan County, not a TDEC contract county); TDEC Division of Water Resources permits statewide

  • Contract counties (Blount, Davidson, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Madison, Sevier, Shelby, Williamson) may require additional permits; Sullivan is not listed
  • Page does not name Bluff City specifically; applicability rests on the statewide rule

  “completed application forms and application fees should be sent to the division of water resources at the appropriate environmental field office.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New or repaired septic systems inside Bluff City where no sewer serves

  • Permit fee for new conventional system $400 up to 1000 gpd; repair permit has no permit fee
  • Review generally takes 10 days, must complete within 45 days

  new conventional SSDS permit fee: 400 USD (up to 1000 gallons per day design flow)

  “any individual or property owner who desires to have a subsurface sewage disposal (septic) system installed on their property or requiring repair to an existing faulty system must get a septic system construction permit.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Installed septic systems inside Bluff City

  • Applicant or installer must notify the division when the system is installed
  • New conventional construction inspection fee $100

  conventional construction inspection fee: 100 USD

  “the division inspects each ssds installation to ensure that it was installed in accordance with permit conditions and regulatory requirements.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Bluff City or Sullivan County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Bluff City
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Bluff City
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Bluff City
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Bluff City
• Off-grid sanitation — Off-grid sanitation inside Bluff City

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.